caught
by lauraxtennant
Summary: One day, Jackie catches them red-handed.


"I cannot _believe _you two!" Jackie exclaims, dumping the carrier bags onto the armchair. "I pop out for _twenty minutes _and this happens?"

"Dunno what you're talking about, Mum," Rose says innocently, tugging down on the hem of her skirt.

The Doctor, wisely, says nothing; just flits his eyes around the room with a sniff.

"Don't play that game with me, young lady! You think I don't know the signs?" She walks over to them and smacks the Doctor lightly on the back of his head. "And _you, _you alien pervert! You should know better!"

"Ow!" he complains, rubbing his head. "Do you mind?!"

"Mind? _Mind? _That I just caught you with your hand up my daughter's skirt?"

The Doctor gulps. Jackie Tyler can really be quite menacing when she wants to be. "I was just… I was just…"

"Hmm?" Jackie prompts, raising her eyebrows. "You were just what?"

"There was a - " He darts Rose a panicked look. "- a - a bug! A fly! No, a mosquito, that's better - I was just helping Rose, and - and you're not buying any of this, are you?" He sighs in resignation and Jackie shakes her head. "Fine, all right, it was exactly what it looked like."

"Doctor," Rose hisses, glaring at him.

"_And?" _Jackie says, folding her arms.

They both blink at her.

"And what?" asks the Doctor.

"Is this gonna be something I'll have to worry about?"

His eyes widen. "Why would you - no! No, of course not. Believe me, I'm not gonna take any chances doing this on your sofa again." He looks at Rose. "I _told_you it was a bad idea."

"Oi, you were the one who snogged me the second Mum left!" Rose retorts.

Jackie clears her throat. "I _meant, _the two of you, doing…things. Is that something I'm gonna have to worry about, you know, in terms of…"

"In terms of what?" the Doctor asks blankly.

Jackie lowers her voice, "Unwanted accidents."

"Oh my god! Mum!" Rose groans, throwing her arm over her face as she sinks down in her seat, completely embarrassed.

"I'm just checking you're being careful!"

"Jackie, I'm over nine hundred years old, for crying out loud. Do you really think I'd be so irresponsible as to - " He cuts himself off. "Don't answer that."

"Well." Jackie sniffs. "As long as there's no shenanigans under my roof, then I suppose it's none of my business what you get up to in that box. Just…" She shifts her stance, crinkling her brow as she looks at them both. Her eyes drop to where their hands have unconsciously sought out each other, twining their fingers in the scant space between them on the sofa. Her expression softens and she relaxes. "You make each other happy, don't you?"

They suddenly look uncomfortable, not meeting each other's eye, but Jackie watches as they both squeeze each other's hand. She smiles.

"Oh, you do, it's plain as day. All right, I'll let you off. But if I catch you moaning and groping like teenagers again, you'll never hear the end of it, let me tell you!"

"Noted," the Doctor says, his lips twitching. Jackie nods and picks up the bags of shopping to take to the kitchen. He glances at Rose, who curls into him, resting her head on his shoulder, face flushed.

"Well that was humiliating," she mutters, but she's smiling.

He drops a kiss to the top of her head. "Could've been worse."

"Yeah."

"So. Given that she approves, on the condition we don't do anything here…"

She grins up at him. "Back to the TARDIS?"

"Yeah?"

"Yep. We'll have to be quick, though; she'll have our heads if we miss dinner."

He jumps up and tugs her after him, walking briskly down the hallway. "Back in mo, Jackie, just gonna stretch our legs for ten minutes!" he calls out as they leave.

Jackie, chopping onions in the kitchen, heaves a sigh. "A likely story," she mutters. And she smiles.

There have been many things that Jackie Tyler worries she's got wrong, over the years; it's hard, bringing up a child alone, and it's even harder watching that child grow into a young woman and find other people to call family. And god knows she didn't like that man at first. But, even if he's an ancient alien who infuriates her sometimes, she's very glad that Rose has brought him into her life, too.

She's been worried, for years, that she'd taught Rose to settle - to make do with less than she deserves. She's been worried, for years, that Rose would follow in her footsteps, in her choice of men, in her choice of jobs, and though she's enjoyed her life, for the most part, she didn't want that for her daughter.

The Doctor coming into their life had kick-started a whole new direction for Rose's life to take. And though Jackie struggles with Rose being so far away from her, she'll always secretly be grateful to the Doctor for making things…_more._

So a little sofa fondling? That she could forgive.

She glances at the clock and wonders if they'll be late for dinner. She thinks she'll probably forgive them that, too.


End file.
